Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-09-17
GONE 70 MS REST.
Death Of Colonel ]. c. C. Thorutol
Yesterday Afternoon After Only
Q Few Days Sickness.
A. Sketch OF tho Busy and Eventfu
Career Of q Man Whose Loss
Will Be Deeply Regretted
by All Classes.

Aman who has made himself an i'm
perishable name among the early settlers
of the West Side passed away yesterday
afternoon in the person OF Colonel John C.
Calhoun Thornton. The Colonel has been
a,ling for nearly three weeks past, but was
only taken down last Sunday. His strong
will and hopeful disposition led him to
insist up to the last moment that he was
not seriously unwell, and it was only by a
ruse, as on a friendly visit. that his ply
stefan could see him. He died OF a comp!i-
Gated internal disorder which reduced him
very rapidly, and assumed the form Of
dysentery. He was born in Clay County,
Missouri, in 1884, the sixteenth child
and first boy in his pare. ts' family. He
was sent to Bethany College. West
Virginia, in 1852, OF which the celebrated
Alexander Campbell was President and
GRADUATED WITH INSTRUCTION.
in 1855. being then in his twenty.first year.
His career there Was notable for the brill
iant promise he gave, an" his professors
foretold a marked career for him. He re-
turned to bis home in Missouri. and shortly
after went first to L~eavenworth, Kansas.
and a~fterward, in 1858, to St. Joseph.
Missouri, where he studied Law and entered
into practice with Jonathan B. Bassett,
afterward General Bassett in the UniOn
army. Daring his residence in St. Joe he
was captain of an artillery company. In
1861 he raised a regiment Of cavalry and
went into the Confederate service with the
rank of Colonel. He served in Prices com
mand, and also operated under Shelby on
the west eide of the Mississippi. At the
close OF The war he came almost directly
to Montana, arriving here in 1865, and
was in Virginia City in business with Tom
ness at Blackfoot, Deer Lodge County,
with r. w. Donnell. In 1867 he went to
Deer Lodge and formed a law partner
ship with Lee j. Sharp and T.
L. Napton, under the firm name of Sharp,
Thornton & Napton, and afterwards with
Robinson and Stephens. At this time he
became largely interested in mining
ABANDONING LEGAL PRACTICE,
and was one of The principal projectors
and constructors along with Conrad Kobrs,
E. H. Irvine, E. p. Newman and w. l..
Irvine OF the Rock Creek Ditch Com
pany's mining bitches, used to convey
water from Rock Creek and adjacent
streams to Pioneer, Pixies Peak and
Pilgrim Bar placer gold mines. In 1868 he
built the Race Track ditch and afterwards
French Gulch mining ditch all in different
parts Of old Deer Lodge county. At the
time Colonel Thornton and other gentle.
men tool hold Of these enterprises, placer
mining had been confined to the extraction
Of gold iron the gulches of almost every
portion OF the west side of the Rocky
Mountains. and the success of the enter
pris, of bringing in Rock Creek water was
CONSIDERED VERY PRoBLEMATIcAL.
1t wal undertaken upon prospects found in
Pilgrim Bar, and Pioneer and Pixies Peak
gulches. the extraction of which was more
guessed at than known. It cost $125, 900,
and the work of putting them through and
building themswas largely due to the energy
and enthusiasm of Colonel Thornton, who
believed in the resources of these places and
was always sanguine of the success Of every
enterprise in which he was interested. It
il no exaggeration to say that the bringing
in of these bitches caused the production
ri from three to five millions in gold. The
Rae Track ditch, carrying water to Uncle
Ben's gulch. was a failure as there never
was any gold there. He spent about S4O.-
Colonel made Deer Lodge his home until
1875, when he removed to Butte.
HE HAD ACQUIRED
a good deal OF quartz mining claims in
this district, the status of which compelled
him to move here to look after the repre-
sentation OF his property. He had MINER
GUS locations. among them two and a
hall claims on what was then known as
the Gagnon. His claims amounted to
about 0 feet, but were relocated by An
tome Gagnon and others under the new
mining law, which went into force in 1875,
for ALLEGED lack Of representation. which,
however, was compromised, and Colonel
Thornton became owner of hall the GagnOn.
Through purchase he afterward be-
came owner of the whole mine. Within
the last two years Colonel Thornton
surrendered his interests in the Gagnon
mine to the Colorado and Mon
tara Mining Company, obtaining one
sixth of the stock, and was a Director in
the company at the time of his death. He
has lived in Butte ever since and has been
MOST OPERATOR
in mines and other property. At the time
Of his death, besides his interest in the CON-
pany last mentioned, he owned the Pacific
Slope. the Caledonia, the Moonlight, a To-
cation mo. 49, on the Parrot, 500 acres
Of land neal the graveyard, 16O acres of
agricultural land at Thornton's Hot
Springs in Deer Lodge County, and was the
owner of 1OC head of fine work horses aud
teams for hauling ores aud wo, for the
Colorado Company. He was President of
The MINER Publishing Company, in which
he became a stakeholder on February 8.
1882. One of the many enterprises in
which Colonel Thornton wasinterested and
about his first. was on the Divide where he
sank about 100000 in the Divide Mill
which was afterwards moved to the
Gagnon Mill in Butte.
HIS FAMILY.
Colonel Thornton was married to Miss
Lucy Archer during the war, and the day
after his marriage he had to leave her. and
did not gee her again for more bar a
He leaves a family Of six girls
Miss Lizzie. Mrs. James Forbis, Addie,
Lucy. Carrie and Fanny-and two boys,
the eldest named after the Colonel. Among
his intimate friends the Colonel was known
OaIuouh AhoIhOou' anu leu IL QhlCe q
tn he 80 addressed. His Sis
ters we're married to some notable Mi~snn-
One Of them married General Doni-
phin, Of Mexican war fame. another John
of St. Joe, Missouri. nephew II
The General. Another il marrisd to r. W.
.onnell, of Donnell. Lawson & Simpson.
OF his sisters, Mrs. Mct;urdy and Mrs.
Ooniphan, are at present on a visit to
Blackfoot, Idaho, who are expected at the
HIS CHARACTERISTICS
III. r~D---